“Scary ghost stories, and tales of the glories …”

When Philip Gerard died Nov. 7 in Wilmington, North Carolina lost one of its most productive and multitalented writers.

RALEIGH — I’m a fiscally conservative North Carolinian — and I think state taxes should be significantly higher.

This month’s column is going to go a little beyond the library walls. Before I promote the upcoming Christmas program, I want to take this month of Thanksgiving to share what I am grateful for not just at work, but in my life.

I find myself thinking the same thing each year. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is already upon us. The older I get, the faster the years pass, and the speed with which we move from Labor Day to New Year’s Day just astounds me. I love fall and the holiday season. My focus is on having an…

We had the Mississippi River to ourselves.

North Carolina has an official state bird (the Northern Cardinal), an official state reptile (the Eastern Box Turtle), an official state insect (the honeybee), an official state mammal (the Gray Squirrel), an official saltwater fish (the Channel Bass), an official freshwater fish (the Southe…

Editor’s note: This column is part of a series imparting the history of many of the key figures responsible for taking the steps toward independence from England and the birth of our nation. As we approach the semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary, which will be celebrated nationwide from 2…

“What if today, we were just grateful for everything?” — Charlie Brown.

RALEIGH

November is a season of gratitude focusing on family, friends and personal well-being.

On Saturday morning, my 17-year-old son asked me how it felt to wake up knowing the Leandro decision that was made the day before. I paused as I recognized that this high school junior understood how important the Supreme Court’s ruling in this nearly 30-year-old school funding case was for …